I left at seventeen before the bread was warm
took the blue suitcase nobody claimed
Mother stood polishing the same clean glass
Dad read the paper without turning a page

There was a woman’s name behind the pantry clock
written twice then crossed with a kitchen knife
I asked who she was
They asked why I was still awake

Huh

They said “You’ll understand when you’re older”
So I got older somewhere else

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them blame my age my temper
let them blame the morning train

I was gone gone gone—
they can call it running if they like
I didn’t leave because they hated me
I left because they knew me wrong

Years later a stranger stopped me near the docks
said “You walk exactly like she did”
I laughed and asked “Who?”
She looked at me as though I’d made a joke

Then she handed me a photograph:
my father younger one hand out of frame
and a girl with my uneven teeth
wearing the blue suitcase name tag

Huh Small world
Terrible handwriting

She said “Your mother tried her best”
I said “Which one?”

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them blame my age my temper
let them blame the morning train

I was gone gone gone—
they can call it running if they like
I didn’t leave because they hated me
I left because they knew me wrong

Maybe I was kept
Maybe I was traded
Maybe love gets very polite
when the truth is complicated

I never asked again

That keeps them nervous

I was gone before the kettle sang
gone before they fixed their tale
Let them polish every answer
I know where the story fails

I was gone gone gone—
huh they still insist I’m wild
I didn’t leave because I hated them
I left as someone else’s child

I used to leave the light on by the door
Kept your coffee warm like I had before
But you were always somewhere else in your mind

Left me talking to a ghost wasting my time
Folded all your lies like they were clean clothes

Put 'em in a drawer that's how this thing goes
I cried in the shower so you wouldn't hear
Now I don't even need to — baby I'm clear

I gave you rivers you gave me drought
Spent so long wondering what love's about
But the woman in the mirror finally spoke
Said "baby you're the fire — he was just smoke"

I'm not broken I'm just done
(yeah yeah)
I was the moon you were blocking my sun
(mmh)

You thought leaving me would make me fall apart
(uh uh)
Boy you left — but you didn't take my heart
No you didn't take my heart

(ohhh)

I see you now when you walk through the room
Different energy like you shed the gloom
I won't pretend that I don't feel the weight
Of every choice I made a little too late
(background whisper: "too late… too late…")
You were patient like a Sunday in June
I was reckless chased a different tune
And now I'm standing here on the outside damn
Watching you become everything you planned

She gave me rivers I gave her drought
Now I'm the one standing here in doubt
And the man in the mirror finally broke
Said "she was the fire — you were just smoke"

I'm not broken I'm just done
(let it go let it go)
I was the moon you were blocking my sun
(mmh yeah)
You thought leaving me would make me fall apart
(never that)
Boy you left — but you didn't take my heart
You didn't take my heart
(no no no…)

There were nights I almost called
(almost…)
Fingers on your name then I'd stall
(stall…)
But every time I stopped myself I grew
(grew…)

Into someone I love more than I loved you
(bass begins to swell)
More than I loved you
(mmh)
More — than — I — loved — you

(yeah)

I'm not broken I'm just new
(just new just new)
Everything I lost was just a clue
(clue ohhh)
You thought leaving me would dim my light
(can't dim this)
Boy you left —
(he left)
And baby I ignite
(I ignite I ignite)
I ig-nite
(ohhhh)
Mmmmh…
(still standing…)
Still standing

Uno viene dal porto
Uno scende dal tram
Una ride da sola
Uno non sa dove va

Ma il tamburo li chiama
Senza chiedere chi sei
Questa sera la strada
Ha più nomi di noi

C’è chi arriva con tre parole
Chi ne porta tremila
Chi cucina sopra un balcone
Chi ripara una bicicletta

C’è una radio dietro una porta
Che trasmette da chissà dove
Una nonna detta la danza
A una banda di ventenni

Il tassista perde il turno
Per seguire quel contrabbasso
Un bambino batte il tempo
Con due cucchiai sopra un piatto

Nessun palco nessun padrone
Nessun posto riservato
Quando il ritmo prende la piazza
Ogni nome viene chiamato

Vieni qua
Non serve sapere perché
Vieni qua
Porta soltanto quello che c’è

Questo è il punto più vivo
Dove tutto fa tum tum
Dove il nord incontra il sud
E nessuno resta più

Questo è il punto più vivo
Mani in alto giù di nuovo
Se la terra gira ancora
Questa notte gira con noi

Tum tum gira con noi
Tum tum gira con noi
Ogni lingua cambia il suono
Ma il battito dice: noi

Una cuoca lascia il grembiule
Per un passo mezzo sbagliato
Un avvocato molto serio
Fa qualcosa mai studiato

Due turisti senza mappa
Hanno perso la prudenza
Una coppia che litigava
Ora balla la stessa frase

C’è chi viene per curiosare
Chi domani deve partire
Chi ha promesso “solo un minuto”
Ed è ancora qui alle tre

Non importa da quale tavolo
Da quale treno o quartiere
Siamo pezzi senza istruzioni
Che funzionano tutti insieme

Vieni qua
Non devi assomigliare a me
Vieni qua
Porta il tuo modo di stare in piedi

Questo è il punto più vivo
Dove tutto fa tum tum
Dove il nord incontra il sud
E nessuno resta più

Questo è il punto più vivo
Mani in alto giù di nuovo
Se la terra gira ancora
Questa notte gira con noi

Tum tum gira con noi
Tum tum gira con noi
Ogni lingua cambia il suono
Ma il battito dice: noi

Dimmi come batti il tempo
Con il palmo o con il mento
Con le scarpe sul cemento
Con un fiato preso al volo

Uno due — non basta ancora
Tre quattro — viene l’aurora
Cinque sei — cambia la storia
Sette miliardi nella stessa gola

Io dico: vicino
Tutti: più vicino

Io dico: più forte
Tutti: fino al mattino

Io dico: chi siamo?
Tutti: quelli che arrivano

Io dico: dove siamo?
Tutti: dove le cose cominciano

Questo è il punto più vivo
Dove tutto fa tum tum
Dove il nord incontra il sud
E nessuno resta più

Questo è il punto più vivo
Ogni passo trova il modo
Se la terra gira ancora
Questa notte gira con noi

Tum tum gira con noi
Tum tum gira con noi
Non c’è un centro sulla carta
Il centro siamo noi

Uno torna verso il porto
Uno aspetta ancora il tram
La mattina prende nota
Di chi non si fermerà

Tum tum
Il centro siamo noi
Tum tum
Il centro siamo noi

She walks in slow
But the room moves first
No crown no show
Still they know her worth

She don’t ask for permission
She don’t wait by the door
Got a heart made of rhythm
And a name they can’t ignore

Red lips calm eyes
Turning silence into gold
She’s been through the fire
Now she wears it like a coat

You can’t dim her down
She’s already light
She don’t chase the crowd
She owns the night

She owns the night
Moves like the bassline
Cool under pressure
Danger in the waistline

She owns the night
No need to prove it
One look one step
Everybody feels the music

She don’t need love to feel alive
She don’t need stars to make her shine
She owns the night
She owns the night

Oh-oh she owns it
Oh-oh she knows it
Oh-oh she owns it
She owns the night

No tears on the dance floor
She left them in the rain
Put her pain in a black dress
Turned it into champagne

They said “Stay smaller”
She said “Watch me rise”
Now the mirror gets jealous
When she looks inside

You can’t dim her down
She’s already light
She don’t chase the crowd
She owns the night

She owns the night
Moves like the bassline
Cool under pressure
Danger in the waistline

She owns the night
No need to prove it
One look one step
Everybody feels the music

She don’t need love to feel alive
She don’t need stars to make her shine
She owns the night
She owns the night

Every heartbreak made her louder
Every goodbye gave her power
Now she dances on the hour
Like the world is hers to devour

No more waiting
No more hiding
She’s the thunder
She’s the lightning

She owns the night
Moves like the bassline
Cool under pressure
Danger in the waistline

She owns the night
No need to prove it
One look one step
Everybody feels the music

She don’t need love to feel alive
She don’t need stars to make her shine
She owns the night
She owns the night

Oh-oh she owns it
Oh-oh she knows it
Oh-oh she owns it
She owns the night

I kept every receipt like proof
Bought more space then filled each room
Wore my plans like heavy clothes
Carried things I never chose
One by one I let them go
Found out what I need to know
A steady hand a faithful friend
A little time I do not spend

Nothing missing nothing owed
I can feel my shoulders let go

I am better with less
Better with air on my chest
Better with one true yes
Than a hundred maybes I regret
I was counting every prize
While the good passed by my eyes
Now I know what matters best
I am better better with less

I gave away that tailored coat
Kept one song my father wrote
Took old numbers from my phone
Made this smaller place my own
No gold frame can hold a day
No new car can make love stay
I choose people I choose time
I choose a life that still feels mine

Nothing missing nothing owed
I can feel my shoulders let go

I am better with less
Better with air on my chest
Better with one true yes
Than a hundred maybes I regret
I was counting every prize
While the good passed by my eyes
Now I know what matters best
I am better better with less

Keep the rush keep the race
I found freedom with some space
Every burden I release
Leaves more room for what I need

I am better with less
Better with air on my chest
Better with one true yes
Than a hundred maybes I regret
I was counting every prize
While the good passed by my eyes
Now I know what matters best
I am better better with less

I was on the block
With my people every day
Tryna get a dollar in a hundred different ways
Tell 'em I was hot
I just had to get away
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

I was on the block
With my people every day
Tryna get a dollar in a hundred different ways
Tell 'em I was hot
I just had to get away
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

They want that old me back
Now that version in the past
When I was a young kid
I just wanted me a bag

On the corner with my people
In the middle of the night
Everybody moving careful
Just trying to make it right

Man I been hot
I been on my own thing
Riding with a Taurus
I was on some horoscope thing

All my people winning
Man we don't ever forfeit
Me and my people never moving on no weak stuff

I'm in this place with my woadies
I'm in this place with my homies
I'm in this place with the people
That really been down
And the ones that really been knowing me

I'm in this place with the people
That said they would ride for me
And the ones that would've stood with me

I'm in this place with the people
That told me I couldn't do it
But now I be doing me

I'm on a different type time
Girl you know I been on my grind
Tryna move all of my people up out the hood
Get 'em out of the bind

I know that all of my people got demons
But that's why I keep all my angels around
I told all my people
"If you hold me down
Then I'ma hold you down"

I was on the block
With my people every day
Tryna get a dollar in a hundred different ways
Tell 'em I was hot
I just had to get away
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

I was on the block
With my people every day
Tryna get a dollar in a hundred different ways
Tell 'em I was hot
I just had to get away
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

I was on the block
I was on the block
Tell 'em I was hot
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

I was on the block
Tell 'em I was hot
And they tell me
"Brother
What about the old good days?"

Feel the rhythm rise let’s ignite the night

Energy flowing let’s break the mold
Grooving to the beat it’s a story to be told
With every heartbeat we’re alive and in sync
Let the music guide us let it take us to the brink

Hands up high ready for the flight
This is our moment we’re reaching new heights

Weekend escape let it unfold
Living for today let the good times roll
Laughing and dancing that’s how we sway
Rhythm of now we’ll find our way

Every sound resonates let the night ignite
With friends all around everything feels right
As the evening flows let our stories blend
In this joyful chaos there’s no need to pretend

I’m on the backbeat sneakers on the floor
Phone in my pocket still I want one more
Bass hit hard got the room in a wave
No acting no script just the moves that we save
Skippin’ past stress like it’s paint on the tile
Two-step quick laugh been a while since we smiled
From the booth to the hallway passing that spark
We don’t need a spotlight to light up the dark

Come a little closer share the joy we found
Together we’ll create a magic sound

Weekend escape let it unfold
Living for today let the good times roll
Laughing and dancing that’s how we sway
Rhythm of now we’ll find our way
Weekend escape feel it in your core
This is our moment let the music soar

Let the music soar

You left me crying
But I came back dancing
Mm
I came back dancing

You took the keys
But not the door
You took your coat
But not the storm

I kept the dress
You never liked
Put on my heels
And killed the lights

You thought I’d call
You thought I’d break
You thought my heart
Would learn your name

But I found myself
At half past two
In a crowded room
Not missing you

I let the mirror see me
With my makeup running
Then I wiped it clean
Like I saw you coming

You were the lesson
I was the flame
You left the woman
But she changed her name

You left me lonely
Left me hurting
Left me standing in the rain

Now I’m moving
Now I’m burning
Now I’m dancing through the pain

You don’t get to hold me
When I’m finally free
You don’t get the old me
She don’t answer for me

You left me crying
But I came back dancing
You left me dying
But I came back dancing

Da-da-da-dancing
I came back dancing
Da-da-da-dancing
I came back dancing

I saw your friends
They looked surprised
Like I should hide
Like I should cry

I smiled so sweet
They looked away
I guess revenge
Can wear a face

No angry texts
No midnight scene
No begging you
To come to me

I changed the song
I changed the room
I changed the girl
Who waited for you

I let the mirror see me
With my heart wide open
Then I sewed it up
With a little gold thread

You were the reason
I hit the ground
But I’m the reason
I’m rising now

You left me lonely
Left me hurting
Left me standing in the rain

Now I’m moving
Now I’m burning
Now I’m dancing through the pain

You don’t get to hold me
When I’m finally free
You don’t get the old me
She don’t answer for me

You left me crying
But I came back dancing
You left me dying
But I came back dancing

Da-da-da-dancing
I came back dancing
Da-da-da-dancing
I came back dancing

I was a house with the windows open
You were the match in a careless hand
I was the girl who kept forgiving
Now I’m the woman you can’t command

I don’t hate you
That’s too easy
I don’t need you
That’s the twist

I don’t want you
To come save me
I just want you
To see this

You left me lonely
Left me hurting
Left me standing in the rain

Now I’m moving
Now I’m burning
Now I’m dancing through the pain

You don’t get to hold me
When I’m finally free
You don’t get the old me
She don’t answer for me

You left me crying
But I came back dancing
You left me dying
But I came back dancing

You left me lonely
But I came back shining
You left me broken
But I came back diamond

You left me crying
But I came back dancing

Da-da-da-dancing
I came back dancing

Glass on the shoreline
Silver on skin
The night keeps folding
As the rhythm pulls us in
Every street is breathing slower
Windows shimmer then disappear
You don't have to say forever
You're already here
One more step
One more spark
One more pulse across the dark

No destination
Only motion
Floating where the bass begins

Higher
Take me where the skyline bends
Higher
Nothing has to make sense
We move
Like the tide beneath the light
Higher
Till tomorrow loses sight

Dust rises softly
Under every heel
Ancient echoes
Wrapped in something new and real
Hands cut circles through the silence
Every heartbeat shifts its place
No one owns this second
No one leaves a trace
The air keeps turning
Round and round
Every shadow finds a sound

No gravity
No history
Just the rhythm underneath
We don't chase the sunrise
We become the color
One breath
One horizon
Nothing louder

Higher
Lift the night above the ground
Higher
Feel the silence singing loud
We move
Where the desert meets the sea
Higher
You and the frequency
Higher
Only the frequency

I saw your face in the glass rain
Sliding down the window line
City lights were losing color
But your shadow still found mine

You said nothing lasts forever
Like forever was a crime
I kept counting every silence
Like it might give back the time

We don't have to call it love
We don't have to name the fire
Just stay close enough tonight
To feel the wire

If the morning takes you
Let it take you slow
Leave a little echo
Where the blue lights glow

I'll be moving through the glass rain
With your heartbeat in the floor
Every street becomes an ocean
Every door becomes your door

We were never made for answers
Only signals in the dark
Two lost satellites turning
Round the same electric spark

We don't have to call it love
We don't have to name the fire
Just stay close enough tonight
To feel the wire

If the morning takes you
Let it take you slow
Leave a little echo
Where the blue lights glow

And if the night forgets us
I will still know
How your voice became the rhythm
Under everything below

If the morning takes you
Let it take you slow
Leave a little echo
Where the blue lights glow

I saw your name in the window light
spelled out backwards on a passing bus
city heat on a borrowed bike
and a little bit of trouble looking back at us

You had a laugh like a camera flash
gone too soon but it burned the room
I had a heart with a broken latch
swinging open to a silver moon

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

Coffee cold on a rooftop stair
bassline leaking from a taxi door
You tied a ribbon in your midnight hair
said the future isn't hungry anymore

I was counting every exit sign
making maps out of ways to leave
Then you put your hand inside of mine
like a rhythm that remembered me

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

All my static turns to motion
all my caution learns to shine
There's a pulse beneath the pavement
keeping perfect crooked time

We don't need forever to feel electric
just a little voltage under the skin
You move like velvet circuits
turning all my lonely lights on again
If the night tries to sell us silence
we'll answer with a melody and grin
You move like velvet circuits
and I keep coming back to begin

Velvet circuits in the crosswalk glow
Velvet circuits and the city knows
Velvet circuits when the morning spins
I keep coming back to begin

Yeah
Almost beautiful

You left your shadow
On the passenger side
Like a quiet ending
At a red street light

I kept the moment
But I lost the weight
Of waiting for something
That was already late

Now days feel lighter
When the hope runs out
I hear my own voice
A little less loud

And I don’t hate you
That takes too much room
I just stopped turning
The sky into you

Maybe we were young
Maybe we were tired
Maybe love got lost
Somewhere in the wires

I don’t need a reason
I don’t need a sign
I just need tonight
To feel like mine

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

Oh-oh
Almost beautiful
Oh-oh
Almost beautiful

I saw your name
On a screen last night
It didn’t hurt me
Like I thought it might

Just a small old feeling
Passing through
Like a song from a car
That never stops for you

I walked for hours
Under changing signs
No big confession
No perfect line

Just a quiet freedom
I never planned
Like letting go
Without using my hands

Maybe we were close
Maybe we were blind
Maybe love looks better
From the other side

I don’t need an answer
I don’t need a fight
I just need my heart
To sleep tonight

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

I won’t call it wasted
I won’t call it wrong
Some people are chapters
That read too long

I won’t make you guilty
I won’t make me small
We were almost something
And that’s something after all

Almost beautiful
Almost true
Almost everything
I wanted with you

Almost beautiful
Almost gone
I can still remember
But I can move on

It was almost beautiful
Almost good enough
Almost like a movie
Almost like love

We were almost honest
Almost made it through
Almost had forever
Then forever moved

And I’m not broken
I’m just new
It was almost beautiful
Losing you

Oh-oh
Almost beautiful
Oh-oh
Almost beautiful

Mm
Almost beautiful
Losing you

Sept heures douze le réveil insiste
Je négocie encore quatre minutes
Le chat me regarde comme une huissière
Il connaît déjà toutes mes excuses

Une chaussette noire une chaussette bleue
Je déclare que c’est volontaire
Le pain a brûlé pendant que je lisais
Un message marqué « très prioritaire »

Dans l’ascenseur Madame Lefèvre
Me raconte son ficus malade
Je hoche la tête avec gravité
Comme une spécialiste des salades

J’avais prévu d’être impeccable
Organisée presque admirable
Mais le mardi connaît mon adresse
Et vient toujours semer le désordre

La vie c’est souvent de travers
Un bus raté des pâtes trop cuites
Un grand discours dans ma tête
Puis « oui bien sûr » quand on m’invite

La vie c’est rarement comme prévu
Mais franchement tant mieux peut-être
Je perds mes clés je gagne une histoire
Et ça suffit pour tenir debout

À dix heures trente réunion d’équipe
Quelqu’un partage trente-six tableaux
Je dessine un poisson sur mon carnet
Il a l’air plus compétent que nous

À midi Sonia commande léger
Puis vole la moitié de mes frites
Elle dit : « Ça ne compte pas vraiment
Quand ça vient de l’assiette d’une copine »

Le serveur oublie mon dessert
Je décide que c’est philosophique
Certaines choses arrivent en retard
D’autres jamais et c’est très pratique

J’avais prévu d’être raisonnable
De répondre vite d’être joignable
Mais mon téléphone tombe à trois pour cent
Et soudain le monde se débrouille

La vie c’est souvent de travers
Un bus raté des pâtes trop cuites
Un grand discours dans ma tête
Puis « oui bien sûr » quand on m’invite

La vie c’est rarement comme prévu
Mais franchement tant mieux peut-être
Je perds mes clés je gagne une histoire
Et ça suffit pour tenir debout

Dix-neuf heures six petite supérette
Je prends du lait des tomates du savon
Je repars avec un ananas
Et sans aucune explication

Le caissier demande si j’ai la carte
Je réponds oui puis cherche longtemps
Derrière moi personne ne soupire
C’est probablement un miracle local

Chez moi je cuisine en musique
Le chat refuse toute participation
Je mange debout près de l’évier
Comme une reine sans administration

On nous apprend les grandes décisions
Les beaux départs les lendemains utiles
Mais personne ne parle assez souvent
Du bonheur discret d’annuler un dîner

D’enlever ses chaussures trop tôt
De rire seule pour une phrase idiote
De trouver au fond d’un vieux sac
Le bonbon qu’on croyait disparu

La vie c’est souvent de travers
Un rendez-vous puis une autre route
Une mauvaise journée bien racontée
Devient presque une journée réussie

La vie c’est rarement comme prévu
Et c’est peut-être tout son talent
Je ferme les volets je laisse la vaisselle
Demain fera mieux… ou différemment

Minuit vingt-deux le réveil est prêt
Je promets d’être sérieuse demain
Le chat me regarde sans rien dire
Il connaît déjà très bien la fin

Achtung
Herr Casino
Kaiser Tempo
No love story
No apology
Nur Rhythmus

He came in sharp
Black coat white face
Gold ring no name

One step two guards
Red wine fast cars
Cold smile big talk
Slow hands hard walk

Everybody said
Who is this man?
Nobody moved
Nobody ran

He smiled like a banker
Danced like a thief
Talked like a prince
With a knife in his sleeve

Kaiser Tempo
King of the room
Too much money
Not enough truth

Clickclick
Camera flash
Ticktick
Count the cash

Big talk
Small town
Lights up
Hands down

He don’t sing
He declares
He don’t love
He compares

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

Hotel lobby
Three am
Same old story
New problem

Silver lighter
Foreign smoke
He tells the truth
Like it’s a joke

Listen darling
Life is a game
Change the rules
Then change your name

He signs the bill
With a fountain pen
Leaves no number
Comes back again

One hand waving
One hand cold
Too young to stop
Too rich to grow old

Clickclick
Camera flash
Ticktick
Count the cash

Big talk
Small town
Lights up
Hands down

He don’t run
He arrives
He don’t sleep
He survives

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

In Vienna
They called him trouble

In Paris
They called him style

In Milan
They called him expensive

In Berlin
They just smiled

He said
Gentlemen
You can buy the ticket
But you cannot buy the entrance

Then the bass came in

Tempo
Kaiser
Tempo
Kaiser

No crown
No throne
Just a telephone

No heart
No fear
Just a mirror near

Tempo
Kaiser
Tempo
Kaiser

Talk fast
Walk slow
Never let the people know

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
He says yes
When the world says no

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Velvet shoes
And a radio soul

Ohoh
Zu spät mein Freund
Ohoh
He never goes home

Kaiser Tempo
Kaiser Tempo
Everybody knows
But nobody knows

Achtung
The bill is paid
The room is empty
Kaiser Tempo
Has left the building

At 2:17 the refrigerator cleared its throat
I said “Don’t start”
It started

The kettle only sings for one
The toaster burns my alibis
Your coffee cup is upside down
Like it has closed its little eyes

I bought a cactus for morale
It quit on Tuesday night
The landlord says the pipes are fine
The fridge is taking your side

Every appliance has an opinion
Every opinion sounds like you
The freezer hums through cross-examination
I plead the fifth and eat for two

The washer handed back one sock
As proof I can’t be trusted
The vacuum found your silver hoop
Then parked itself disgusted

I tried to cook that thing you liked
The smoke alarm performed the lead
I took a bow it took the battery
A fair review I must concede

“Did you call her?”
No

“Will you call her?”
No

“Are you lying?”
Next question

“Who are you talking to?”
The refrigerator

Every appliance has an opinion
Even the clock has joined in too
The freezer hums for the prosecution
And I still cook enough for two

Your note is folded under pears
I read it only when they spoil
The final line says “Please be well”
As if well came wrapped in foil

At dawn the motor settles down
The whole flat loses its nerve
I almost miss our little war
Then hear the ice tray say one word:

“Call”

Mind your own business

At 2:18 it cleared its throat again
I moved it three inches from the wall
We are no longer speaking

You came in late
With a theory about forks and fate
I kept my coat
You said my silence needed one more note
Your drink went warm
While you described your personal reform
I changed my mind
Halfway through a sentence you redesigned

Too neat
You make good manners sound incomplete
Too sure
You diagnose the waiter and the furniture

Give me the crooked part
The bit that never learned to behave
Skip the polished start
I’d rather hear what you forgot to save
Don’t make it beautiful
Make it useful for a minute or two
Something disputable
Something that could only come from you

The bass moved first
You called it elegant then called it cursed
I missed the beat
You drew a diagram across the receipt
Your mouth said “fine”
Your eyebrows filed an appeal against mine
The plates were cleared
But somehow your complaint just reappeared

One step
Then a paragraph with nothing left
Two sips
And now we’re arguing about eclipse
No script
Just brass behaving badly at the hip

Give me the crooked part
The bit that never learned to behave
Skip the polished start
I’d rather hear what you forgot to save
Don’t make it beautiful
Make it useful for a minute or two
Something disputable
Something that could only come from you

You want a verdict
I brought a question with no proper ending
You want precision
I brought a rhythm that resents explaining

Call it defective
Call it a habit with excellent shoes

Call it selective
I call it knowing what not to refuse

Stay odd
Let all the tidy couples blame the odds
Stay sharp
Keep one good insult hidden after dark

Give me the crooked part
The one you never put on display
No ceremonial heart
No careful phrase rehearsed on the way

Keep it improbable
Keep it a little too clever to prove
Almost impossible
But still with enough nerve left to move

You took the spoon
I took the story
Fair enough
You looked less boring

Packed my bags heading out tonight
City sights yeah they feel so bright
Got a feeling it's time to run
Leaving the past I'm ready for fun

Every step feels like a brand new start
Finding freedom that's where I'll find my heart

Hey I'm alive feel the rhythm rise
Dancing through the streets watch the good times fly
Letting go of what held me back
Now I'm on my way never looking back

Met some faces shared a laugh or two
Every moment feels like something new
With the music I can finally breathe
This is my time got so much to achieve

And when the night falls I won’t be alone
With the stars shining I've found my home

[Final Chorus]
Hey I'm alive feel the rhythm rise
Dancing through the streets watch the good times fly
Letting go of what held me back
Now I'm on my way never looking back

Walking in I feel the shift
Confidence it’s my gift
No more waiting for a sign
I’m my own and I feel fine

Every glance they see the change
A subtle glow I rearrange
Moving through like I own the space
This is my time I’ll set the pace

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

No more aftertone of what could be
I’m the story I’m the key
With each beat I redefine
Crafting moments I’m aligned

Every glance they see the change
A subtle glow I rearrange
Moving through like I own the space
This is my time I’ll set the pace

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

Yeah I walk in cool no script no stunt
Clean cut low talk I don’t need the front
Hands in the pocket watch the room bend
Every small doubt I had I just left to end
Fresh on my feet let the floorboards talk
No borrowed shine I built my own walk
Look at me now no mask no delay
I move with the groove then I move out the way

Catch the rhythm let it flow
This is where I’ll let it show
No more doubt just clarity
This is my reality

I’m not here for your approval
Shining bright I’m my own fuel
Step aside feel the vibe let it sway
I’m alive in this power play

You filed my name under maybe
Kept one hand near delete

Your sentences came pre-approved
Every promise wore a barcode
I read the terms across your face
A firm refusal dressed as grace

You kept my number off the page
Then called it love at your own rate
I learned the cost of being near
A private charge renewed each year

Your figures never could align
You changed the units every time
You took the sum removed the source
Then called the damage normal loss

Call me your margin of error
The number you round to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
Your almost your after your spare
I won’t be filed under maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

You wore affection like a pass
Valid until somebody asked
My place was marked with pencil lead
Easy to alter hard to read

You built a room from access codes
The door unlocked when you chose
I left the key beside your name
No final speech no claim to blame

Your figures never could align
You changed the units every time
You took the sum removed the source
Then called the damage normal loss

Call me your margin of error
The number you round to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
Your almost your after your spare
I won’t be filed under maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

I was never hard to measure
You preferred uncertain scales
A person turned to useful data
A pulse reduced to monthly sales

Now every digit has an owner
Every loss can state its cause
You can keep your perfect record
I have left your private laws

Call me your margin of error
The number you rounded to zero
You kept me close to the ledger
But never part of the total

Call me your margin of error
The flaw that refused to behave
Cross out the file marked as maybe
I won’t be useful then erased

Delete my name from your system
The error has learned its own weight

You left your scarf on my chair
Cheap red thread and summer air
I still fold it by the door
Like you might come back for more

And I know I know
It was never clean
But your name
Still shakes the seams

Paper cup summer
You still taste like that
Paper cup summer
Gone fast came back
I keep one small match
For the dark you made
Paper cup summer
Won't fade won't fade

Bus stop rain on your shoes
You laughed like you had bad news
In the park under the trees
You said "Don't make a promise to me"

And I know I know
We were shaking hard
Two wild hearts
In a borrowed car

Paper cup summer
You still taste like that
Paper cup summer
Gone fast came back
I keep one small match
For the dark you made
Paper cup summer
Won't fade won't fade

Now the corner store's closed early
The peach gum on your sleeve still hurts me
If I call would you hear my voice?
Or just the noise just the noise

Paper cup summer
You still taste like that
Paper cup summer
Gone fast came back
I keep one small match
For the dark you made
Paper cup summer
Won't fade won't fade